Every October, fans of minor league hockey teams hope for a better season. This time, fans of the Albany River Rats know that they will have a better year. It could not possibly be as bad as last season. Setting records for futility, the Albany River Rats were dead last in almost every meaningful statistic, including games won (14 of 80) and points (52 out of a possible 160). It was so bad last year that bunches of season ticket holders actually stopped going to games. (For the record, last year’s “season recap” follows at the end of this preview report.)
Summer overhaul
Coaches got replaced. Kevan Constantine was dumped by the Devils after the upstart Carolina Hurricanes ousted the Devils in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. During the only three home games in East Rutherford, Brian Gionta practically assured himself a spot in the fall starting lineup for the Devils. He was “third star” twice and “first star” once, ranking himself up with Bobby Holik (defected to the Ranger$ for $9 million per year) and Martin Brodeur as “best Devils” during the playoffs.
In came Pat Burns, a three-time NHL coach of the year. And, to the delight of countless Albany fans, Bob Carpenter, who presided behind the Albany bench during the worst campaign in the franchise’s nine-year history, was promoted to NHL Assistant Coach for the Devils.
In his place, a fan favorite and respected (by players and media) veteran member of the Devils’ organization: Dennis (“Red”) Gendron. A Devils’ scout the past two seasons, after several years as assistant to Albany coach John Cunniff (who, sadly, died of cancer shortly after the end of last season [see note below]), Gendron had already made a mark in Albany. During the Olympic break in Japan when some NHL Olympians damaged their hotel rooms, Gendron racked up an impressive nine-game winning streak as acting coach of the Albany River Rats. Fans were virtually unanimous in voicing approval of the coaching change, with a “red carpet” being rolled out for Red Gendron to take over the Rats and turn them around.
Players got dumped. Long-time AHL veterans Sylvain Cloutier (captain) and Richard Rochefort were not re-signed by the Devils. Evidently the judgment was made that they were not really on the “prospect” list and the poor performance of the team required a massive overhaul. Cloutier and Rochefort were fan favorites and will be missed. Cloutier had the bad luck to be injured early in the season and missed 20 games.
Stan Gron, who occasionally had a good scoring touch around the net, but who also was a notorious “puck hog,” was not resigned. Joel Bouchard, a capable two-way defenseman who complained that he was underpaid, went to the money tree (New York Rangers) and wound up back in the AHL, with the Hartford Wolf*Pack. Goaltender J.F. Damphousse went to Anaheim in the Sykora-Freisen trade.
The three River Rats who, in the opinion of this writer, had the best seasons last year in Albany (Steve Guolla; Brian Gionta; Christian Berglund) competed for spots in New Jersey. Gionta and Guolla made the roster and Berglund got sent back. This writer thought that Berglund plays harder, more physically and drives to the net more than Andreas Salomonsson, but with his youth and exemption from having to clear waivers, Berglund got sent down at the last minute. (In the final roster numbers crunch, veteran defenseman, Tommy Albelin, also was sent to Albany.)
Albany fans take pride in the fact that some of their players make the NHL in general and the Devils in particular. Though they were only here a short while (Guolla, all of last year; Gionta, up and down last year), the work effort of those two was tremendous. On a team that otherwise was lousy, the Berglund-Guolla-Gionta line was the reason some fans still went to the games despite the team’s awful record.
The most astonishing thing of all was the return of Mike Jefferson, now known as Mike Danton. After almost making the Devils’ roster last year, but sustaining an injury of debatable severity in a pre-season game, Danton (then called Mike Jefferson) refused to report to the Albany River Rats and, instead, went out to the west coast to get another doctor’s opinion as to his injury.
Jefferson got into a very public dispute last season with Devils’ General Manager, Lou Lamoriello, asserting that he (Jefferson) would never play for the Devils again. Other than getting paid some of his bonus money, Jefferson languished the entire season out of the game. An off-season reconciliation ensued and Lamoriello took Danton back, assuring him that he would have a chance, but no guarantee, of making the Devils in training camp. With the departure, via free agency to the Rangers, of Bobby Holik, some “toughness” on the Devils disappeared. Danton apparently will have a chance to play the agitator role, though his penchant for drawing the wrath of referees and getting penalized places a question mark on his status.
New “veterans” for the Rats “Veterans” were re-stocked. Starting with Ken Sutton, who spent most of last year in Bridgeport after playing briefly for the New York Islanders, the Devils went on their most ambitious (and well-received by fans) investment spree ever. Evidently recognizing the obvious fact that a roster full of prospects with limited “veteran” presence in general and next to no “veteran” muscle on the blue line did not work, the Devils substantially bolstered the defense corps. Sutton was signed with the expectation that he would play in Albany and was named team captain before training camp. His credentials are impressive, including winning the Eddie Shore award (top AHL defenseman in 1999) and filling in capably during the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs when Scott Niedermayer was recovering from the Tie Domi elbow incident.
Sutton represents maturity and poise on the blue line, real experience in the locker room and a good role model for younger players. He will be joined by Ray Giroux (Lowell and Bridgeport recently) and Mike Matteucci (Houston and Cleveland recently) for what looks to be the best defense for the River Rats in four seasons. Much of the blame for the past three years (52 points, following a pair of 70-point campaigns) can be traced directly to the blue line. While there were legitimate reasons given for the trades (two-for-one swaps; inability to protect players during the expansion drafts, etc.), the fact of the matter is that the River Rats had been decimated on the blue line in the past several years. Such promising prospects as Josef Boumedienne (AHL All-Star at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton AHL All-Star Classic), Sascha Goc, Willie Mitchell, as well as Andre Lakos got traded, with only temporary or stop-gap replacements.
This year, Giroux, Matteucci and Sutton can provide the tutelage for blueliner prospects Daryl Andrews, Mikko Jokela, Joel Dezainde and Victor Uchevatov. Add veteran Alex Brooks into the mix (he tangled with Worcester IceCats’ sniper, Eric Boguniecki, Sunday night at a pre-season game, as a result of which Boguniecki received a match penalty and will be suspended for one game), and the River Rats’ blue line looks better than at any time since the 1998-99 season in which the Rats played deep into the playoffs, ultimately losing to the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Calder Cup champions, in the conference finals.
The veteran acquisition binge did not stop on the blue line, either. Three well-regarded veteran forwards were acquired. The trio, who played together on a line and as the first-unit power play squad during the last exhibition game, features Craig Darby in the middle (Philadelphia and Quebec), with Joe Hulbig (Hamilton and Providence) on left wing and Dave Roche (St. John and Bridgeport) on right wing. If that combination stays together (it produced the game-winning goal, with three minutes left in regulation on Sunday as the Rats won an exhibition game, 3-2, over Worcester on Joe Hulbig’s goal), that might force opposing teams to play their “checking line” against them, leaving some other Albany lines against lesser defensive capabilities.
Things to come for the Rats? Evidently, coach Red Gendron plans to focus on execution of the power play, a sore spot in Albany in recent years. The first-team power play unit will feature Ken Sutton and Ray Giroux at the points and the Hulbig-Darby-Roche line up front. (In an ironic bit of numbering, Roche wears number 12, the same number as former Rat, Richard Rochefort, so Rocky Rochefort jerseys could double as Roche jerseys with a little red fabric stitched over the last four letters.)
If the AHL referees parrot what the NHL referees preach, then “clutching and grabbing” will be called, at least until Halloween. If so, and if the Rats muster a decent power play, it could go a long way to helping avoid the disastrous Octobers of the two years just past.
As for forward prospects, there will be plenty of opportunities. Christian Berglund surely has the inside track for first call-up to New Jersey, since he played there sporadically last season and features an aggressive, hard-hitting style.
Others drafted as potential prospects, but with checkered careers in Albany, include Max Birbraer, who missed most of last season with an abdominal injury, and Mike Rupp (13G; 17A last season), as well as Jiri Bicek (15G; 19A). Albany Week in Review believes that it would be a long-shot for any of those three to play much for New Jersey this year, unless they start strong and remain consistent scorers, something none of those three have shown to date despite potential of all three.
Adrian Foster, a first rounder with a history of abdominal injuries, could be a diamond in the rough. Only time will tell.
Goaltending will be solid. Top draft choice Ari Ahonen will be joined by Scott Clemmensen, the Boston College NCAA champion whose BC Eagles won the championship (along with Brian Gionta) on Albany ice at the “Frozen Four” two years ago. Both goalies had statistically poor years last season, but no knowledgeable observer would blame Ahonen or Clemmensen for the Rats’ problems, which were traceable to a sorely depleted blue line and a complete lack of scoring on offense.
Personally, this writer will miss J.F. Damphousse, who had shown remarkable poise and steadiness over several challenging seasons. However, there is no room for three goaltenders in Albany. (With Corey Schwab, former River Rat [1994-1995 Calder Cup champion], having played his way back into New Jersey, after yeoman service in Toronto during Curtis Joseph’s injury last season, the backup spot behind Brodeur is locked up for now.) However, the future behind Brodeur could be Ahonen or Clemmensen and the expectation is that Red Gendron will rotate goaltending responsibilities.
Death of John Cunniff A great person, a truly knowledgeable hockey mind, a wonderful coach, and a friend of all Albany hockey fans, died on May 9, 2002. John Cunniff, who coached the Albany River Rats for five years (and brought the Rats to playoffs in four of those years), and who was a special assignment scout for the Devils thereafter, died after a long-term battle with cancer. The proceeds of last Sunday’s AHL exhibition game will be donated in Cunniff’s honor to a charitable foundation. (Fans can send money to the Cam Neely Foundation at 30 Winter Street, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02108.)
John Cunniff earned the respect of every Albany fan, even when the team struggled. As honest as they come, John Cunniff never once dodged a tough question or made excuses. Nor did he blame the refs. Cunniff was always on the money with his hockey analysis. He readily submitted himself to fans’ questions at a pre-game “ask the coach” roundtable.
Countless NHL players owe their careers to John Cunniff, who was an outstanding teacher. John Madden, the Selke trophy winner in his second season with the New Jersey Devils, is one of those players whom Cunniff helped on the way to the NHL. Madden went scoreless his first 20 games, but Cunniff kept telling “Mad Dog” that, given all the scoring chances he was getting, goals would finally come. They did, and Madden set a franchise record (98 points) his second (and final) year in Albany.
Always stressing the basics, Cunniff knew, respected and implemented the defensive style of the New Jersey Devils, the organization with which he was associated for almost two decades. Cunniff set a standard for hockey coaches to emulate, of treating fans, players, opposing teams, media and referees alike with respect. One of the last things he did was bring his Salt Lake City Olympic Silver Medal to Pepsi Arena, so Albany fans could see it.
John Cunniff had class and character and he will be missed. He always bent over backward to do the right thing. When Rob Skrlac and Garrett Burnett fought at center ice during the pre-game skate at a playoff game against Philadelphia in 1999, Phantoms’ coach, Bill Barber was somewhere in the locker room, but did not make an appearance. John Cunniff ran out onto the ice to separate the pugilists all by himself.
For two seasons, Cunniff’s son, David, was a role player on the River Rats, essentially a checking forward. David was never given any special treatment, nor more ice time than he earned. This writer remembers talking to David Cunniff (dressed in street clothes) the very next home game after David’s first and only short-handed goal (on the road in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). Cunniff the coach benched Cunniff the son because in the opinion of the coach, another player deserved to play that night. John Cunniff’s work ethic, though, plainly was inherited by his son, David, who recently was tabbed as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Barons.
So, John Cunniff, we mourn your passing. Albany Week in Review recognizes your distinguished contributions to the game, to the Devils’ organization, and to the Albany River Rats. The team will honor Cunniff in a ceremony before the home-opener this Saturday.
To summarize, fans are anxiously awaiting the upcoming season, if for no other reason than to purge their memories of last year’s forgettable performances. Similar optimistic predictions have been made the last three years, only to be disproven by the facts. But, hope springs eternal, and Albany River Rats fans are sure, this time, that the Rats will be better. Management made the investment in excellent “veterans” for a backbone around which the prospects can be molded. With Red Gendron behind the bench, fans are excited for the season to begin.
Albany 2002-2002 season in review.
[Editor's note: this end-of-season review was largely written in May and June of 2002, with minor revisions in October to reflect certain developments, such as to Mike Jefferson (Danton) and the knowledge of the Devils' final roster selections. The commentary and recommendations, however, remained as written over the summer. This 2001-2002 River Rats' season recap was not previously posted on the Internet.]
By most measures, it was a bad season. By some yardsticks, it was an awful year.
For only the second time in its nine year existence as the American Hockey League affiliate of the New Jersey Devils but also for the second year in a row the Albany River Rats failed to qualify for post-season play. In the estimation of some of the media who covered the team, the River Rats were all but mathematically eliminated by the unofficial mid-point of the season, the AHL All-Star Classic. (At the event to honor the best of the league, the Rats for the second straight year had but one player selected, Jiri Bicek, who also represented the team two years earlier.)
The River Rats set a number of franchise records, none of them of the type that players would “write home about.” The team ended with only 52 points out of a possible 160, with only 14 wins. Eleven of the victories came at home; only 3 were earned out of 40 games on the road.
The team finished dead last in many categories: wins (14, 6 fewer than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the next worst team), points (52, 4 fewer than WBS), winning percentage (.325), goals scored (172, a new AHL record of 11 fewer than the previous record-holder, the 99 Adirondack Red Wings), goals-allowed versus goals-scored differential (-99), fewest “first goals” in a game (25), lowest winning percentage when scoring first (28%), fewest overtime wins (2, in 26 extra-session contests), fewest average penalty minutes per game (15.5), fewest minor penalties (369), worst head-to-head record against other teams (defeating only one of twenty opponents in the season series, Manchester; tying only two opponents in that category, Portland and Philadelphia; losing campaigns to 17 opponents), goals-for per game (2.15), shots-for per contest (25.46), shots allowed per game (35.94).
Special teams were anything but special. The power play was in the bottom quartile at home (21st out of 27 teams, at 14.2%), but abysmal on the road (dead last, at 10.1%) and spared the ignominy of worst overall only because the Rochester Americans’ laughable 10.4% power play was worse than Albany’s 12.3% man-up unit.
Penalty killing was 21st at home, at 81.8%, below the league average of 83.9. On the road, the Rats’ mediocre killing rate of 78.8% (second-worst in the league) helped explain why Albany only won 3 of 40 contests away from the Pepsi Arena this season. Overall, the Rats were 26th in the PK department, stopping 80.3 percent of opposing power plays.
What went wrong? Of the 52 River Rats games that this writer attended this season (37 of 40 home games; 15 road games), several themes (none good) were repeated time and again. Territorial possession with the puck was awful. Much more time was spent in the defensive zone than on the attack or at center ice. The team was, by a wide margin, the wimpiest, least physical team ever fielded in franchise history. While no team should be burdened with constantly killing penalties, the team was so far removed from being physical or intimidating that other teams had no reason to respect or fear the Rats.
Scoring was a season-long problem for the Rats. Other than the one bright spot of the campaign the Steve Guolla line the Rats never had consistent offensive production. The line anchored by Guolla and featuring whichever two of the three promising prospects was not then in New Jersey (Brian Gionta, Christian Berglund, or Andreas Salomonsson) or, if two of those three were in the NHL, then Jiri Bicek, the River Rats had no offensive line that could be counted on for goals.
The defense was very young, and error prone. While a handful of rookie blueliners got plenty of ice time, they simply did not have the situation where a veteran D-man was paired with a young back-liner. The team started with few veterans on defense and three of them (Josef Boumedienne; Sascha Goc; Andre Lakos) got traded away in mid-season.
Coaching was inexperienced. Head-coach Bob Carpenter was in his first season running the show. Assistants Geordie Kinnear (defense) and Chris Terreri (goaltending) were in their first year as assistant coaches.
What went right?
If there were any silver linings in the clouds on the Albany horizon, they were in two areas: goaltending and a few forward prospects.
Considering how badly the defense wound up “hanging their goaltenders out to dry” on a nightly basis, the netminding was really remarkably good. Indeed, the statistics, such as goals-allowed, save percentage and the like do not do justice to any of the three Albany netminders. Ari Ahonen, Scott Clemmensen and Jean-Francois Damphousse were far better than their numbers would indicate. On many nights, these goaltenders kept the River Rats in the game but never got the offensive production to carry the day.
Steve Guolla. Unbelievable effort and an inspiration from start to finish. Signed as a free-agent several weeks into the season, the veteran (San Jose, Atlanta, Tampa Bay) quickly became the first-line center. A one-time AHL MVP, with the Kentucky Thoroughblades, Guolla was the center that forwards Brian Gionta and Christian Berglund used to develop into real NHL prospects.
Brian Gionta. Don’t measure him by size. Take a look at his “heart” and energy. Although he only played in 37 games with the Rats, since he spent half the year in New Jersey, Gionta played with an enthusiasm and skill not seen since the days of Steve Sullivan. Ready, willing and able to go through traffic in front of the net and to fight for pucks in the corner, Gionta has blazing speed and the on-ice vision characteristic of older, seasoned veterans. Of course, his Boston College championship, won at the “Frozen Four” on Albany ice a year ago, did not hurt. The only real question in the minds of Albany fans was how long we would keep him, before he inevitably graduated to the NHL.
This writer had Devils’ playoff tickets again during the 2002 playoffs and believes that Gionta was, along with Bobby Holik and Martin Brodeur, one of the three best Devils in New Jersey’s abbreviated post-season. He was “third star” in two of the Devils’ three post-season home games and “first star” the other time. Gionta probably played his last game in an AHL uniform.
Christian Berglund. “Bergy” has good speed and skating and passing skills. “Finishing” around the net could use some improvement, but the energy level from this rookie was terrific. The Albany River Rats’ front office, led by Garen Szablewski, deserves credit for actually increasing ticket sales (by almost 10%) to 3,867 per game, despite poor on-ice performance and accurate (if negative) media coverage.
What needs to be done?
If this were a National Hockey League team, the coach (Bob Carpenter) would have been shown the door. But it is not, and Devils’ general manager, Lou Lamoriello, has been both loyal and patient with his staff at the minor-league level. (Editorial note: Carpenter was promoted to Assistant Coach with the Devils and Dennis Gendron assigned as Rats’ coach; see main story above.)
However, apart from any coaching change for the River Rats, at a minimum an “attitude change” should be ordered. Players need to finish their checks. Hitting was done less often, with less intensity and by fewer players than at any time in Albany River Rats’ franchise history. The “trap” was more like Swiss cheese as players stood around and watched opposing players carrying the puck up the ice unimpeded.
Coach Carpenter said early in the season that he would bench players for getting bad penalties. OK, a lot of coaches say that. Some even do it. But few bench bosses intimidated their players as much, with the result, predictable or otherwise, that penalties for charging or boarding were almost non-existent the entire season. But, then again, crunching the plexiglass was so rare, also, that whenever it happened it was news and reported as such.
Road warriors. Albany did not have them this past season. For a team that once bragged (with justification) at being one of the strongest road teams in the league (as recently as three years ago), the River Rats were simply awful on the road. This writer attended 15 road games and saw Albany win only one of those games. The team did not play 60-minute games and, in overtime, was not very good at the 65-minute opportunities.
Veterans. The River Rats needed them. Albany, with the exception of Steve Guolla, did not have them, or at least did not have enough productive veterans. Names like Eric Bertrand, Sascha Lakovic, and Steve Brule were often mentioned. As in, “wish we had them now.” (Editor’s note: see main story above, where veterans indeed were added.)
Offense from second and third lines was not dependable. Individual players had occasionally good games, or even good weeks (Mike Rupp was chosen AHL player of the week in a week in which the Rats did not even win a game). However, the team’s success or lack of it hinged almost entirely on the production of the Steve Guolla line. Mike Jefferson. Missing in action. While the merits of the Jefferson versus Lamoriello saga were played out more in the press than anywhere else (see, especially Rich Chere’s reporting for the Newark Star Ledger), the truth of the matter is that Jefferson, or some similar energetic player obtained in exchange for him in a trade, would have greatly bolstered the wimpy Albany defense.
While Albany Week in Review has gone on record in stating that Jefferson was wrong in escalating his disagreements with Lamoriello to the papers (following a dispute over pay and a suspension following an abdominal injury at the end of training camp and Jefferson’s decision to get a medical second opinion), that dispute apparently was headed to NHL arbitration as a result of a grievance filed by the players association on Jefferson’s behalf.
While GM Lamoriello presumably intended to teach Jefferson a lesson by not caving in to any of the rookie’s demands as to salary or reimbursement for medical expenses, the absence from Albany of what could have been a dynamic scoring line (Jefferson almost made the Devils’ in training camp) surely hurt the River Rats. Others given ice time in his absence did not step up their play.
Individual grades
There is inevitably some subjectivity in grading players. However, some “benchmarks”, such as year-over-year improvement (i.e., a comparison with last year’s statistics) and intra-season improvement, as well as consideration of the tendency of the player to get recognition from the “paid” media in the post-game “three stars” helps leaven the possible bias of the writer.
A+
If an “A+” is reserved for extraordinary performance, outstanding effort and consistent dedication game in and game out, then only one Albany River Rat this past season earned that accolade: Steve Guolla. Ironically out of work at the start of training came, he signed a one-year free agent contract with the Devils several weeks into the season. Immediately, he fit in.
Not since the second (and last) year that John Madden wore an Albany River Rats’ jersey has one player so consistently dominated games and monopolized the “three stars” of the game. A proven scorer himself in a prior incarnation with the Kentucky Thoroughblades, Guolla unselfishly served as a “set-up man” for wingers Brian Gionta and Christian Berglund, the wingers most often on his line when they were in Albany.
Guolla, a capable face-off artist, was the most consistent back-checker on the team, playing a defensive, two-way forward role that would do John Madden proud. His passing and set-ups reminded this writer of several years back when Peter Zezel played for Albany. The Devils apparently recognized Guolla’s skills and work ethic, since he joined the taxi squad in New Jersey during the abbreviated playoffs against Carolina, though he did not play.
With the departure of Sergei Nemchinov and Stephane Richer, Guolla deserved (and got) a serious look during training camp. He is every bit as good defensively as Jay Pandolfo. Guolla, however, brings much better “finishing” skills and would have decent scoring contributions on a third line for the Devils. For his outstanding season in Albany (25G; 35A; 60 points in 68 games) on a team that was awful by any objective standards, Guolla deserves serious NHL consideration for next season, if not with the Devils, then surely somewhere in the NHL.
A grades
There were a few (unfortunately, all too few) players deserving of “A” grades this past season in Albany. Fortunately for them, but unfortunately for the Albany River Rats, both of them may well be wearing New Jersey Devils’ jerseys in October and for the foreseeable future. These two players are Brian Gionta and Christian Berglund.
Both Berglund and Gionta bring tremendous energy to the game. Berglund, at times, was over the top in terms of energy, drawing an inordinate number of roughing penalties in pure retaliation for hits, borderline or otherwise. If he persists at the NHL level in what was a tendency of his in Albany to yap at the referees in protesting calls, then he will get his full share of penalty minutes and then some. But, that may be simply a matter of maturing, for Colin White, in his Albany days, had the same problem.
Berglund and Gionta are both gifted skaters, though Gionta would win a foot race four times out of five. Both are small (Gionta is very small), but size is not a problem for either of them. Both of them are hard-driving, types and each charges the net for scoring chances. Both have decent “finishing” skills, though, in the opinion of this writer, Gionta gets more scoring chances based on his quickness and generating more turnovers at center ice.
By the numbers, both of them had an excellent rookie campaign in Albany, each of them spending a fair amount of time with the Devils as well. Bergy bagged 47 points (21G; 26A) in 60 games and was near the top of the rookie scoring chart, certainly near the top of the league in terms of points per game. Gionta was pure energy every time he took the ice. Not since Steve Sullivan have Albany fans seen as much energy, pound for pound, from an Albany River Rat.
Oh, if only Albany could have had another scoring line to match the Guolla-Berglund-Gionta line! Alas, the team was not so lucky.
B+ players
There were a handful of players that had very good seasons. At the top of this list were second-year defenseman, Daryl Andrews and all three goaltenders, Ari Ahonen, J.F. Damphousse, and Scott Clemmensen. As stated at the beginning of this report, any attempt to judge the goaltenders based purely on statistics would do a great disservice to them. Considering the number of scoring chances they faced, to say nothing of the league-worst number of shots on goal per game (35.94), Ahonen, Damphousse and Clemmensen performed quite capably, despite the absence of wins or other conventional measures of success. Truthfully, the inability of the River Rats to generate any offense (they set the AHL record of fewest goals, 172) was a huge factor in the inability to win games.
Daryl Andrews was a pleasant surprise in his second year on defense. Here, he made the most of opportunity. Early in the season, the Devils traded Sascha Goc and Josef Boumedienne to Tampa Bay in exchange for Andrei Zyuzin. After a brief cameo appearance in Albany, Zyuzin went to East Rutherford and did not return to Albany. In mid-season, Andre Lakos was traded to Dallas, in exchange for Vareri Kamensky. The upshot of those trades was an enormous amount of ice time for Andrews, as well as for Albany rookie blueliners. Andrews made the most of the opportunity.
Andrews matured into a solid, capable defenseman. Though he does not often join the rush, he is steady in his own end. He passing and skating are dependable and he is physical and smart in the corners. His numbers (3G; 10A; -16 in 69 games) were pretty good by the standards of this year’s River Rats. (Everybody was in the red in the plus/minus numbers, and most were far below Andrews on that scale.) Daryl Andrews had comparatively few turnovers and made good, sensible decisions with the puck. In the opinion of this writer, he was the most improved player on the team from the prior year.
The three goaltenders earned “B+” grades even through that may seem a little high based on goals-against (Ahonen: 3.02; Clemmensen, 3.29; Damphousse: 3.42) or save percentage (Ahonen: .914; Clemmensen: .908; Damphousse: .902). However, this is where those stats are misleading. Game in and game out, these goalies faced more quality scoring chances than any other goaltenders in the nine-year history of the Albany River Rats. The defense, by and large, was so young and inexperienced that opposing teams “out-chanced” the River Rats in almost every single game, often by a wide margin, sometimes by multiples of two or three. In that environment, the steadiness and composure of the goalies was remarkable.
Sadly, for the second straight year, none of these goaltenders saw any playoff action. If the truisms about playoff hockey being different from the regular season has any meaning, then these goaltenders were deprived of an important experience in the learning process.
B grades
There were a handful of “B” grades, given out more on the basis of effort by the players than results. Joel Bouchard, the best skater among the Albany defenseman, and the one with the most experience including a number of NHL games, was solid on a regular basis. Though he reportedly was unhappy with his salary, he was signed as a free agent at the beginning of the season. Scouts who saw him had to be impressed with his ability. His “-30″ on the plus/minus scale may reflect an occasional tendency to favor taking offensive scoring chances, but also reflects the fact that he was often paired with a rookie.
Richard Rochefort, in his fifth season with the River Rats, and an alternate captain, was consistent and steady throughout the year. His 28 points (15G; 13A) in 59 games were decent, but not spectacular.
C grades
A handful of players had just average performance. They never truly stepped up to contribute, offensively or defensively. While it is quite possible that their relatively run-of-the-mill performance this year says as much about the entire team’s poor performance as their own, there is no doubt that the lack of a winning environment hurt the motivation of these players.
Mike Rupp is a case in point. Lacking consistency from game to game, there were nights when Rupp was one of the best players on the ice. During one week, he was chosen as the AHL player of the week. A strong skater and an adequate finisher around the net, Rupp improved his face-off skills this season. However, he did not seem hungry enough in the corners or on the boards and defensively was apparently not playing up to his ability on a consistent basis.
Jiri Bicek is another case in point. Other than Brian Gionta, Bicek was the fasted skater on the team. However, unlike Gionta’s nose for the net, Bicek would consistently head up the right wing into the corner, would usually get bumped off the puck and scoring chances would evaporate. A lot of unfulfilled potential with him, but after five years, he may have dropped off the “prospect” list. Sylvain Cloutier. Although for the second straight season, the captain scored the first goal of the team (in 2001 he also scored the last goal of the season), an early knee injury sidelined him for 20 games. He never regained his old effectiveness as a menacing checker, though his effort was always admirable. (In the off-season he signed a free-agent deal with the Houston Aeros.)
Max Birbraer. Started strong. Stopped by an abdominal injury. He literally only played half the season, 40 out of 80 games. D grades
Jason Lehoux. Though he was the most improved rookie a year ago from first half to second half, his second season saw a decline in points (from 15 in 52 games) to 10 in 67 games. His biggest strength is his fighting skills. Not yet a well-rounded player.
Brett Clouthier. Another “role player” in the assignment of checking forward. Four goals, no assists in 62 games. Nothing very memorable.
Victor Uchevatov. The youngest defenseman (just turned 19 in October of 2002), his development was stunted in his rookie campaign by the absence of veteran defensemen with which to partner on the ice. Still learning to read plays and may develop into an excellent defenseman, but too soon to tell. F grades
Stan Gron. Worst “puck hog” ever to wear an Albany uniform. Awful skating the puck in his defensive zone. Terribly prone to turnovers. Stubbornly insists on “splitting the D” when teammates are available for a pass. Only real strength is if he is free in front of the net, where he is an adequate “finisher”, but those opportunities are too few to outweigh his many shortcomings.
Bob Carpenter. Maybe it is unfair to give a failing grade to a first-year coach, but Carpenter did nothing to redeem himself in the minds of fans or observers. Maybe the benchmarks against which he was measured (Robbie Ftorek; John Cunniff) are tough to match. Admittedly, Carpenter was handicapped by an extraordinarily “green” blue line, of very, very inexperienced defensemen.
However, Carpenter did not seem too imaginative and failed to inspire even a power play that looked respectable.
Most critically, Carpenter, with his heavy emphasis on not being called for penalties, fielded a team that was the wimpiest, least intimidating ever to wear a River Rats’ jersey. He not only did not encourage his players to finish their checks, he benched players that did and (in the process) got an occasional boarding or charging penalty.
And, while it surely is no measure of the quality of a coach, Carpenter left a lot to be desired in terms of fan friendliness. He followed the “bunker mentality” approach of avoiding the fans except at a number of booster club events. His accessibility to the fans was at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Robbie Ftorek and John Cunniff. Carpenter seemed to view the fans as a necessary evil, to be avoided, rather than a ticket-paying customers with some stake in the operation. Many fans complained over the summer to the River Rats’ front office that they would not renew their season tickets if Carpenter returned as head coach.
Here and there.
In a sad note, long-time River Rats’ head coach, John Cunniff, died of cancer on Thursday, April 9, 2002.
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